Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope that everyone has a wonderful time this Thanksgiving holiday, with good food and good company. Try not to make yourselves too sick by overeating, and I promise to try the same!

Here's a good tidbit for those of you who do overindulge this holiday: try ginger as a therapy for nausea, sour stomach and gas problems. Traditional Medicinals has a great ginger tea (great as in great for a natural therapy, not great tasting) that can work wonders. Ginger Chews are also useful, and are much more palatable (don't work quite as well though). If you don't have access to these brands or just need a homemade option, here is a recipe that you can try to make your own ginger tea at home. Hope you don't need to use it, but it helps if you do! Have a great holiday everyone!Ginger Tea5 cups water1 piece (6 inches) ginger, sliced into 1/4 inch slices1 Tablespoon honey

Simmer water and ginger for 10-15 minutes, until desired strength (you may want it less strong to start with). Remove from heat and stir in honey. Feel free to add more honey to taste. If you make a stronger version, you can keep it on hand in the fridge and add hot water to it directly to make a tea when you need it.

Why am I doing this?

I have been severely ill for 8 years. I was an active, healthy 26 year old emergency veterinarian loving life and my job. Everything crashed to a halt after a cat bite landed me in the hospital for a few days on IV antibiotics. Severe dizziness, fatigue, pain, and fainting were soon to follow. I had to take medical leave 3 months after I first became ill and was never able to work again.

It took more than 30 doctors, 2 years, and a trip to the Mayo clinic in Minnesota to finally get diagnosed with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, or "POTS", a type of dysautonomia. I am still severely disabled, but fighting tooth and nail to get better every day. I want this blog to be a resource for others who have chronic "mystery" diagnoses or other chronic disorders that need help organizing their life again.

Bear with me on this blog because I am ill and will not be able to post as regularly as a "normal" person can!